The Author

I 'm a 30 year old mom of two kids and married to a wonderful man.Living in a different country is hard for me,made merealize what i was missing from the smell of the bbq on the street to the shouts and laughter of the kids and teenagers playing tag in the moonlit night. The sweet noise of my mum calling or be it shouting my name.

BADGE OF FRIENDSHIP

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Credits

Monday, April 26, 2010

One of the many things I do when I am online is to check out the Entertainment news. I love a little bit of gossip from Hollywood every now and then. I also love reading and checking out photos of what stars do when they are not filming. One interesting article I read was about photo shoot covers on magazines and air brushing. Honestly I find it reassuring to know that women who are on the covers of the magazines that look perfect and sexy and what not are not really that perfect looking. One photo that was released with the before and after airbrushing was done was Britney Spears photo. Air brushing really works wonders and can make you look slimmer,curvier and smoother. Now, every time I look at those women in the magazines I will always think that these women are not perfect as they appear on the covers.

Aside from reading articles I also enjoy surfing online about anything and everything. Lately I have been searching more on women's interest that range from make-up, plastic surgery, beauty products, clothes, shoes and etc. Its an interesting fact that the beauty industry is always striving in spite of economic struggle. Lots of women still buy branded make-ups, and facial products like eye cream, youth creams and acne products. Nowadays its much easier to choose products by reading reviews online like the pronexin review that gives an in depth idea of what the product is all about and how beneficial it is. I admit I was never the kind to read reviews before buying products but I have learned from my husband that reading and finding out what others have to say about a certain product is very useful in helping make the right decision. With that said I have better get back on surfing and looking at some videos on how to put on make up,, lol. See yah around foks!

Spending time with family is always fun and never dull. The man in the picture is my dear BIL Angelo, he had a belated birthday celebration last Saturday. All his kids were there and he was back to his old lovable self with his grandson making him smile. The candle is the cake is a big "?" because his daughter forgot how old he was, lol. I was happy to see that Angelo was back to his old smiling and jolly self. He has been depressed lately and misses his kids a lot. So It was really refreshing seeing him smile and joke around and not be in a grumpy mood at all. I feel bad though that Ralph was not able to join us in the celebration. He could not take 50 minute ride going to his brothers house, he still can't sit for a long period of time. On the other hand Ralph has been healing quiet well and he says he feels good. After he is done with all his medication and his off his antibiotics I am planning on getting him some hgh supplements to help increase his metabolism and just give him energy when he goes back to work. As for now, I am just making him take things slow and not let him do any heavy lifting or strenuous work and let him rest a lot. I bet in less than a month from now he will be almost 100% back to his normal self.

Getting back on track to exercising and eating smaller portions is not going to be as easy as I thought. I had been eating healthy and exercising but that all went out the window when my husband had his cyst drained, surgery and another surgery to close the wound. I got so swamped with everything that I had no time, nor did I have the energy to try. Even my MIL had no time to go to the gym and I know she missed it a lot specially using and getting on the treadmills at her new gym. She has been our chauffeur since Ralph has to be driven to all his appointments and all the errands we have to do. I told Ralph that next month I am going to get on track again and go on a diet. I really don't have to go on a diet but I just want to loose a little weight before my vacation and have more energy. It is not going to be easy breezy but if I keep my mind focus on my goal I will eventually survive!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, True or False? My answer is true, we all see beauty in different ways. The important thing is that we look at our selves in the mirror and like what we see. I admit there are times that I don't even want to look at myself let alone say I am beautiful. One days that I do feel great I say to myself " you are one gorgeous mama!". This days I have been feeling blah due to my Spring allergies that got my nose all raw and red. I had to stop using my facial scrub with the bigger beads as I didn't want to irritate my nose even more. Even though I stopped I haven't seen any more blackhead on the side of my nose and forehead. I think my skin looks better for some reason, lol. I just want my allergies to all go away so I can breathe easy again and go back to my beauty routine..

Monday, April 19, 2010

For the past couple of weeks I have been my husband's personal nurse 24/7. He finally had his wound closed last April 13, 2010 and had to stay in the hospital. For all those not in the loop my husband had a cyst removed from his derriere We thought he was just staying overnight but that all changed when his temperature went sky high up to 102.4. I felt helpless knowing he was in the hospital by himself. My husband is a grown man but I wanted to be there for him but nobody can take care of my kids. I was nervous as a hen when he called me that night and told him he has a high fever. I didn't let him on that I was worried, I could not sleep that night and was just tossing and turning waiting for him to call me again. Thankfully the next day we went to visit him and he was fine. They had to take a lot of blood test, culture and other test to find out why he had that fever. Yes, it is common for patient that just had surgery to have a fever but he should have gotten the fever the night he had surgery and not the following day. They could not find anything wrong with him but just in case had to let him stay in the hospital again. He was there for a total of 5 days.

He was happy as a peach when his doctor told him that he could come home. He got on the phone right away to let me know that he was coming home and that he wants to be picked up right away. My husband was so happy to leave the hospital not because he wasn't treated right but he missed his kids and me so much. He just wanted to see his kids and maybe spend a little time with them. Even though he can't stay on his feet to long nor sit down he was just glad to be home. He said he was so tired of having people see his naked behind all the time, lol.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Its already Spring, time to break out all the outdoor cushions that we stored in the basement for the winter. The other week the weather was just perfect with temperature hovering in the 70's. When the weather is nice we usually spend almost all of our time outside watching the kids play. We had a deck built in our backyard a year and a half ago. It was the perfect place to lay out the new inflatable pool I got for the kids. We have a swimming pool but the liner needs to be replaced and I just got the small pool so the kids can play in it. The inflatable pool didn't last that long though coz our dog bit into the side of the swimming pool and just chewed on it. This summer it's going to be so nice just sitting on the deck watching my kids play on the swing set while I sip a cold drink under the shade of the umbrella and just chill out.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Today Ralph had his second surgery. This time it is to close the wound that was left open from the removal of the cyst near his tailbone. It has been left open for more than a week to allow the wound to drain. Everyday last week a visiting nurse came to our house to clean his wound and pack it. The first time his wound was cleaned after surgery was pain inducing for me. Ralph felt nothing as all the nerve ending where they cut him were all dead. I was horrified when the nurse pulled out the packing bandage strip from his wound. I could tell that it was really deep, the hair on the back of my nape and on my arms stood up on ends. I was not disgusted but I felt pain for him every time I see his wound. I took pictures and even a video of the male nurse as he was packing his wound. Ralph saw how the wound was packed my shoving the bandage strip into his wound with a sterilized q tip. I have new found respect for people who work in the medical profession. Since I didn't think I could do the packing myself the nurse had to come everyday until last Thursday. Ralph had another appointment with both of his doctors, Dr. Clayton the specialist and Dr. Cheng the plastic surgeon. It was suggested my his plastic surgeon that his wound be cleaned and packed twice a day instead of once. The specialist agreed with the suggestion of the plastic surgeon. Since Ralph's insurance will never cover for two visits from a visiting nurse in one day I had to step up and do it on my own. Dr. Clayton showed me exactly how its to be done and how to pack it. The first time I changed his wound I was a nervous wreck. I did not want to hurt my husband, to cut the long story short I did a pretty good job and even the visiting nurse who came by that day for the last time said that I was doing great.

With his wound closed I hope that changing his bandage will be easier. I just feel bad for my husband with him all alone in the hospital. When I called him he told me his in pain not only from his surgery but his belly hurts as well and he has been throwing up. Hopefully tomorrow if the doctor gives him the all clear he will be out. Thank you Lord for watching over my husband.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

It has been over a week now since Ralph had the surgery to remove the cyst on his back. He still has an open wound and is having a second surgery to close the wound, this time it will be done by a plastic surgeon. Even though he has limited activities he still can't move around to much or sit for a long period of time. Still, he has been in a chipper mood ever since he found out that his credit score has gone up. With that said we won't be needing any credit repair services to help with his credit score and history. I am hoping that it will continue to improve and I am crossing my fingers and hope that in 4 years time both of us will have a great credit history. I have already started building my credit history with a recent purchase of our new couch. I got approve for an in house loan in the furniture store we got our couch. With my credit card ready to be paid off in full by the end of this month I should be in the clear in maintaining my good credit standing and is hoping for another increase in my credit limit.

Its been more than a week now since my husband had his surgery to remove a cyst on his back. The surgery wasn't as bad as we thought but he still can't sit for too long or do heavy work. Before he had the operation to remove his surgery I have been on his back about doing a follow up on the insurance quote he has been asking online and on the phone. Many insurance agents have been calling our house. We have yet to decide the best insurance to get for me. I admit I want to get an insurance that not only is affordable but also has a lock in rate. My kids are already set on their respective life insurance, both Ralph and I already have life insurance but its still better to have another one just in case. I never thought about insurance until I moved here, got married and had children. Maybe by next week we will make our decision on which insurance company we are going with. I just want to get this over and done with.

Monday, April 5, 2010

A parents worst nightmare is seeing their child get hurt. But how would you feel and react when your face in a situation that you are seeing your child body floating in water or be it sinking in the water? Sarah a friend of mine went through that nightmare. She had just put her youngest son Joey for a nap when she could not find her oldest. She found her floating face down in their swimming pool. She jumped in and just got her out and just administered CPR to her little girl. I can't imagine the horror she was in, she said it was her living nightmare. I don't know if I would have reacted the same way if it was me but when a parent is faced with that kind of situation our instinct kicks in. Just like what the dad and the good samaritan did on that miraculous day . According to an eyewitness who was able to take a video of the incident the father jumped in to save his two year old little girl in the freezing water. The picture of him with holding on to a rope with his daughter lifeless on his chest was just heartbreaking. This news did not end in tragedy, the child started crying a few minutes and both father and daughter are fine. I hope to God I will never be have a situation in my hands like that. Accidents happen no matter how much keep we keep and eye on our kids, all we have to do is to be prepared and calm and rise up to the challenge when the situation calls for it.

Here is a clip of the interview of one of the people who witnessed the rescue of the 2 year old little girl :

Saturday, April 3, 2010

In the 3 years that I have been living with my MIL I would never thought she would join a gym. She has Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and has had it since she was 40 years old. Due to her RA she could not walk extra long and had to use a cane for a long period of time. But that was 2 years ago. Before Kaitlyn was born she already had 2 knee surgery to replace the cartilage in between her knees. Both Ralph and I was so surprise when she told us she join a gym so she can go exercise. Ralph was a little miffed since she never uses her stationary bike in her room and the elliptical exercise equipment in the basement. She knows that she has been steadily gaining weight and didn't want to consider fat loss supplement due to the many pills she is taking for her RA. Her reason for joining was so that she can get out of the house and strengthen her bones with a supervision from a professional who knows what they are doing. MIL is right and I am support her decision and I just hope she sticks to it.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Tomorrow is Good Friday a time for all Christians to reflect. Tomorrow is also the day Ralph will have his surgery to remove the cyst on his back. We have been busy as a bee the last couple of weeks running errands, going to doctors appointment, painting the house. Trying to finish what needs to be done before tomorrow. At least the grass has been mowed for the first time this year in preparation for the Easter Egg Hunt we will be hosting on Easter Sunday. We had a hunt last year and watching my kids smile and scream with joy was just priceless. I wanted to cancel the egg hunt with Ralph out with his surgery and he will not be able to move very much, but kids are already expecting it. I can just imagine the smile on my kids face on Sunday. I know I will be running around like a chicken without its head but I think I will be able to manage it. I'll just make a rainbow cake and Easter cupcakes for the kids to eat after the hunt.

I don't know about you guys but I have been experiencing dry skin now more than ever. My legs and knees are specially bad. I didn't have dry skin problem last spring so I don't have a clue what changed. At least my face is not as dry and I don't have any breakouts, so far so good. Just in case I do get the occasional breakouts I have an acne cleanser that I use regularly.I have also been using a certain kind of facial scrub and it seems to be doing a great job on my face. My only main worry about spring is the allergies. Last year it was so bad that I could not breathe through my nose, it was so clogged. It gets worse when I go outside where the pollen is so bad with the trees just starting to sprout leaves. Even though I hate taking Benadryl for my allergies I am going to suck it up so that my kids can go outside and play in this gorgeous weather.

We are finally done painting the inside of our house. We started off painting last weeks with the dining room and since we still had a lot of pain left over we decided to paint the bathroom. The kitchen, dining room and downstairs bathroom is painted in ALOE VERA color. Its actually a nice, soft and bright color. We were doing such a good job painting so we tackled painting the rest of the house. I really didn't want to do it but we have to. Ralph will be having his back surgery to remove his cyst on Friday that is tomorrow. After his surgery he won't be able to do much at all. His best friend will be the bed and I will be his servant until he can get up and out of the bed without help. Mind you painting is not an easy task but its not that hard either. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to paint the inside of your house, all you need is common sense, lots of tape, wet rag and a steady hand.

Last night was the last day of painting the inside of our house. We did the hallways, the stairs and also the family room. What is left is the formal living room/ playroom of the girls. We will have to do that last in the autumn season. We celebrated our success by going out to our favorite Chinese restaurant. Afterward I cajoled Ralph into taking all of us to the furniture place so I could show my MIL the couch we got. I never thought Ralph and I were going to agree so quick on a couch but if we hadn't we would still be looking for the right design furniture for our family room. The couch we picked is a sofa recliner with cup holders in between seats. I just fell in love with the red microfiber couch. I can't wait until it will be delivered to our house and I will finally be rid of the horrible couch we have had for the last 3 years.

Nowadays everything is easier, faster, efficient and convenient. I have asked myself so many times why Americans have so many gadgets for almost everything. Housewives have so many tools and gadgets to help with cleaning. Since most Americans don't have maids or cleaning crew to clean, we do it ourselves. Inventions and gadgets make things easier and faster. It also applies to technology and the WEB. There are programs and software to help with business, schools, household,church, offices and many more. It even amazes me how people can do their own taxes in there own homes with just a simple software program. Business is easier to manage with software like project management software it helps small business owners and major companies run smoothly. I should have really studied more about computers and the Internet since there is such a big field to knowledge that is available out there waiting to be searched. I may not be a computer geek but I sure so admire them...

My Grandmother turned 77 years old yesterday March 31, 2010. Let me tell you something about her. She is smart as whip, sharp as a sword and soft as a jello. My grandma is what people would say a tough cookie, she works hard for everything she has and takes good care of her family. She may have a sharp tongue but her words always rang true and always looks out for you. I love her for taking care of me and my sister when my dad left us, I love her for her cooking but most of all I just love for loving us in return. I talked to her yesterday and I could not help but get teary eyed. Both my maternal grandparents are getting older and it hurts to know that I am not there when they need me, for someone to watch them, do errands for them as such. I am counting down the days until I see them again. Don't worry La, your dollar is already saved and in safekeeping until I hand it to you this summer. I love you so much....

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